‘Massive challenge’ to keep Aussies from leaving teaching in droves

A special task force has been launched to tackle the “massive challenge” of keeping people from leaving a vitally important profession.

A national plan to tackle Australia’s teacher shortage will be drawn up amid concerns not enough people are taking up the profession.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare met with his state and territory counterparts for the first time on Friday to discuss how to fix the workforce shortages, workloads and retention issues across the sector.

Teachers, principles and representatives from the unions and independent and Catholic school groups were also present at the roundtable.

Education Minister Jason Clare chaired the roundtable on Friday. Picture: John Feder / The Australian

Paid internships, study incentives, shorter courses and increases in salaries are just some of the measures proposed by the minister to help end the crisis.

Department secretaries will begin work on the national plan, to be presented to ministers at a meeting in December.

The graduation rate for teachers sits at just 50 per cent compared to 70 per cent for university students for other degrees.

“We don’t have enough people who are signing up to be teachers; too many people are walking away from the profession,” Mr Clare told reporters in Canberra.

Mr Clare with state and territory education ministers following the roundtable in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“What are the things that we can do to encourage more people to become teachers?

“Secondly, what can we do to prepare student teachers for the workforce they’re about to enter?

“And, thirdly, what do we do to keep the fantastic teachers that we already have?”

Mr Clare confirmed the government was looking at the prioritising visas for overseas teachers to help staff in classrooms.

“One of the things we’ve got to do is prioritise visas for teachers from overseas who want to come and work here. Clare O‘Neil, the Minister for Home Affairs, has agreed to prioritise those visas,” the Education Minister said.

“There’s a whole bunch of teachers already in the queue but … there’s a whole lot more people who potentially may want to come here and work as well.”

Originally published as ‘Massive challenge’ to keep Aussies from leaving teaching in droves